2007 Pushing 200k, Maintenance Recommendations?

Hi All,

I'm the original owner of a fully-loaded 2007 Prius approaching 200k miles, and debating what maintenance to perform. I put good new tires on not long ago that should last me 'til 250k or so.

I've kept full-synthetic oil in it since new (usually Mobil-1; occasionally Toyota's variant, when service coincided with an oil change), and for the most part attended to scheduled maintenance on major items on something approaching the recommended schedule. It's generally been a very trouble-free car, with only one non-regular-maintenance repair in its life. I stay on top of cabin and air filters, fluid levels, blah blah blah ...

Still gets great mileage, maybe a couple MPG short of its peak around 60k miles, and burns (not leaks) maybe a quart of oil per 5k miles. Unless something blows up, I fully expect it to last for many, many more miles.

I'm assuming I should replace the timing belt, since the current one has around 100k on it (the serpentine belt was replaced not long ago). I don't doubt that the dealer's going to try to sell me a bunch of service I don't really need (they do great work, but they're not above recommending stuff that's really not necessary at all).

I'd appreciate recommendations on what I should be looking at as critical, nice-to-have, and waste of money.

Thanks!

 

Hmmm, right no timing belt ... 90k was a while back, had a bunch of recommended service then, just assumed I'd have had the timing belt changed and too lazy to go find the records

Thanks for the replies! About to send my wife off on a couple thousand mile road trip in it, and I'd prefer her not to get stuck on the side of the road.

Engine coolant isn't old, no problem there - it was replaced along with the serpentine belt due to cooling issues.

Spark plugs aren't old (in Prius terms), brakes are good, all set there.

I do visual inspections of the underbody/drivetrain/suspension on a "when I think of it" schedule (and I do know what I'm looking at), and all seems fine. There's a speck of looseness in the steering, but I do mean a speck, and far less than in any other car I've ever had over 100k miles - I really don't think it needs any attention. The various front end drive and steering boots, specifically, are about the only are I've ever had any trouble with Toyotas (this is my sixth), and they look fine.

It does sound like a transaxle fluid change may be in order, and with the money I'll save not changing the non-existent timing belt it'll continue to be a very economical car to own!

 

There wasn't a cooling leak - the roll pin in the crankshaft pulley sheared, and the pulley spun, not driving the water pump fast enough, causing overheating. Replacing the belt seemed reasonable while replacing the pulley, as did fresh coolant, but the cooling system itself appears undamaged and passed pressure testing just fine.

 

Wow, I got quite a chuckle out of some of these responses. Being new here, I'll try to keep the snark in check, but for crying out loud, people, life happens! When I was a teenager, nobody thought twice about driving cross country in a POS VW with 100k miles on it, and they generally made it. I drove cars that were threatening to lose their wheels (literally!) at any time, and they continued to do so for years (ok, one of them *did* actually lose a wheel, but hey, no big deal .

This particular Prius has, without a doubt, been the most trouble-free car I've ever owned, including the five Toyotas before it (and they were pretty damned good). I reckon I've driven about a million miles or so at this point, and one of the things I've learned is that when a car lasts this long and still runs perfectly, it's a good one, and may well be more reliable than a brand new one. It hasn't been replaced for precisely that reason.

For those that may be wondering, the sheared roll pin was, as far as I (with an extensive engineering background) and an exceptional Toyota Master Mechanic could hypothesize, probably due to a piece of road debris getting wedged in the belt, putting a momentary but extremely high load on it. Everything from head warpage to blown seals to thermostat damage was considered and checked - the engine is fine (including the electric water pump).

As for the traction batteries, they too seem to be holding up just swell. I recently left the car parked for a week, and when I started it up they were still around 80º charged. I'm inclined to believe Toyota's claim that they've never failed in regular usage, and my knowledge of the technology leads me to suspect time is more their enemy than miles.

So, my wife is no shrinking violet - she's an intelligent, mature woman who can handle adversity just fine. Yes, the car could break down, and she'd have to have it towed and perhaps get a rental. If that were to happen, it'd suck, but among the things she'll have with her are a cell phone and a credit card; she'll be fine. However, the odds are strongly in favor of her having a relaxing and trouble-free trip, and I'm frankly less concerned about the Prius giving her grief than I am about the run-flat tires on "her" Sienna, which truly suck.

So, the Prius has fresh oil, fresh wiper blades, good tires (at 40/38, for those who obsess about it), and all the fluids are at appropriate levels. If it blows up, I'll gladly issue a mea culpa here, but I'm just not very worried about it.